Pump diaphragm



M, Wm,

E. c. "REY-Bow PUMP DIAPHRAGM Filed May 24 EDWIN COMPTON REYBOLD, OFDENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR of th Patented Nov. lb, WZd.

IA.NY,A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

'ro THE Dona COM- rmur DIAPHRAGM.

Application filed May 24., 1922. Serial n. 563,232.

Tb all whom, it vim-y concern.

Be it known that I, EDWIN (loirr'ron United States,

has for its ob ect the construction of an improved pump diaphragm.

The diaphragm pump has been found to be well adapted for lifting sludges discharged from settling tanks inmetallurgical and chemical plants and especially where ever a liquid containing a substantial amount of suspended solids is to be elevated.

However, the diaphragms heretofore used in these pumps, made of rubber reinforced with convass, have been highly unsatisfactory because relatively frequent replacements have been necessary. It is extremely important to reduce a hragm replacement to a minimum since t e expense involved in replacing a di aphragm is vastly reater than the actual cost of a new diap ragm, inasmuch as it involves not only the labor required in male ing the replacement, but also the loss of product caused by shutting down operationof the apparatus With which the pump is operating while the diaphragm is being changed. This loss of product is often equivalent to a very substantial sum of money.

The diaphragm constructed in accordance with the present invention is reinforced with a plurality of layers of parallel thread fabric. This parallel thread fabric may be made in the well-known way by laying side by side, arallel to each other, the number read necessary to produce the desired width of fabric and temporarilysecuring these threads together by means of relatively light threads woven'at right angles to the parallel threads and spaced some (llstt li lfie e fabric is, therefore, extremely strong in one direction and relatively weak in the direction at right angles to the first, because the light holding threads are used merely to hold the strong the frequency of diparallel threads in position during the subsequent frictioning process. Consequently, when these fabrics are placed in the diaphragm structure the strong paral: lel threads of adjacent layers of fabric are arranged at an angle to each other, preferably at right angles, in order to strengthen the diaphragm ll! 'all directions.

The frictioning maybe done by any process which completely embeds in rubber each parallel warp thread so that it is protected' from wear against neighboring threads. A method. of frictioningwhich has been foundto be very successful is as follows: First the fabric is coated upon a spreader with several coatings of rubber gum upon both sides of the fabric. This spreading process expells the air from between the threads and embeds each individual parallel thread in a coating of gum, thus separating them from each other by means of the gum and at the same time preserving their alignment. After spreading, the fab ric is slum-coated on the calender and then cut into pieces of the required dimensiohs. By thus expelling all of the air from the fabric, embedding the individual parallel warp threads in rubber gum and separating the layers of fabric by the thin layer of rubber applied during the skin-coating process, the friction "caused by the flexing ofthe diaphragm in pumping is greatly reduced. Not only is the friction reduced, but also the wear of adjacent threads or adjacent layers against each other is prevented.

This friction parallel thread fabric is now used to construct the complete rubber diaphragm which is built up as follows:

First, a layer of rubber facing is placed in the mould and on top of this a layer of ceptionally durable and can be manufactured at a reasonable cost.

A better understanding of the invention i the iap ragm type showing the diaphragm in position and Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of another form of sludge pump. 7

Referring to these drawings the diaphragm is indicated generally by reference numeral 4 and is shown in Fig. 2 in position in the pump. This type of pump comp-rises a one piece casing 5 provided with an oflset 6 upon whichis seated the diaphragm 4. The diahragm is clamped between a rounded surace on the ofiset and the clamping ring 7 by means of bolts which are not shown. Thediaphragmis reciprocated by means of a circular yoke which 1s clamped to the diaphragm by means of. the bolts 8 and which in turn is actuated by a suitable mechanism I such astheeccentric shown in the upper portion of Fig. 3. In the lower part of the casing 5 there is provided an .inlet valve 9 through'which t e liquid enters the pump.

The liquid is discharged from the pumping chamber 11] through a central discharge opening in the dia hragm, this opening being closed by the ischarge valve 12 which 7 is carried on the yoke. The liquid passes .from the pumping chamber 11 through the V discharge valve 12 into the space 13 above the diaphragm from which it is discharged through a suitable. opening not shown. A diaphragm which will operate successfully in a pump of this type must be constructed to withstand the continuous flexing which .takes place during the operation of the amp, 1n addition to the pressure to which it is subjected.

Referring ,to Fig. 1 an upper layer of frictioned parallel thread fabric is shown at 14, and a lower layer at 15 with their skin coated surfaces 16 and 17 in contact. At

1 18 the outer facing 21 of rubber and a portion'of the skin coating of rubber applied to the fabrics 14 and 15 during the'frictioning process, are shown removed so as to expose the threads of the fabric. A portion of the up er fabric 14 is also shown broken away so tliat the threads ofthe lower fabric 15 ma be seen. At 19 the bare threads of the fa rics 14 and 15 are a ain shown by folding back a portionof t e upper half of the diaphragm and removing a portion of the skin coated surfaces 16 and 17 Numeral 23 indicates the relatively strong parallel warp threads of fabric 14 and numeral 24 those of fabric 15, and, as shown, the fabrics are placed in the diaphragm structure so that the threads 23 are at right angles to the threads 24. The relatively light holding threads of both fabrics are indicated at 25 and, as above described, they are spaced a relatively large distance apart. These threads constitute the. only weft or filler threads in the fabric and as they are not intended to furnish any strength to the diaphragm but merely to hold the parallel warp threads in place during the frictioning process it may be said that the fabric, after frictioning, really has no filler threads.

In Fig. 3 is shown a modification of the pump of Fig. 2 in which instead of the single diaphragm 4 being used the whole pumping chamber is expansible and is constructed in the form of a rubber bellows 26 which is reinforced in the same manner as the diphragm 4.

In comparative tests between the diaphragm constructed in accordance with this invention and the ordinary diaphr 5 reinforced with canvas the former diap ragms have shown a remarkable increase in life over the canvas-reinforced diaphragms.

I claim:

1. A pump diaphragm comprising a rubber body of appro riate configuration having a plurality of ayers of parallel thread fabric embedded therein, the parallel threads of adjacent layers of fabric bein angularly disposed with respect to each 0t er.

2. A pump diaphragm comprising a rubher body of ap ropriate configuration having a pluralty of layers of frictioned parallel thread fabric embedded therein, the parallel threads of adjacent layers of fabric being angularly disposed with respect to each otherA d h 3. pump ia ra com risin a rubber body of appr cipriiiit e confi gurati on having a plurality of layers of frictioned parallel thread fabric embedded therein, the

arallel threads of adjacent layers of fabric eing disposed at substantially right angles to each other.

4. A pump diaphragm comprising a body of vulcanized rubber having a plurality of layers of frictioned parallel thread fabric embedded therein the parallel threads of adjacent layers of fabric being dis osed at substantially right angles to each 0t 16!.

5. A pump diaphragm comprising a rubber bod of appropriate configuration havin a p urality of layers of parallel thread fa ric embedded therein, the parallel threads of at least one layer being an larly disposed with respect to the para lel threads of at least one other layer.

In testimon whereof I afiix my signature.

EDWI GOBIPTON REYBOLD. 

